Mini Z Lights

[bithed]

…I have never been the most technologically minded person and i REALISE this is obvious but last night i had a little experiment and realised (at last) that a bulb wired to a the Mini Z motor will brighten as the trigger is pulled and go out when the trigger is released…These were just little TAMIYA bulbs not LEDs…

…I dont want head lights but i DO want some blue under lights for my chassis…any hints and tips?

[jamiekulhanek]

I did this mod myself with rainbow leds.

If you want to do a really good job, use about 12 LEDS.

1 on each side at the front of the shell, 1 on each side of the chassis beside the servo, behind the front wheels, 2 on either side next to the batteries, 1 on each side behind the chassis, just between the chassis and motor mount, and one on either side behind the motor mount.

Superbright LEDS such as blue dont work that well, they tend to make a pattern of DOTS, not a nice glow.

I used standard LEDs and it was a much better effect.

I recommend using a separate battery for the LEDS, because under acceleration the LEDS dim.

[bithed]

…Good point RE the super brights 🙂 Recommendations for a battery ? I am running a body-modded NSX so there aint much room to party under that sucker…If i just string all these bulbs together will they all work or do i need to go technical and set up a board or something…about the limit of my electrical expertise is twisting the wires together and then taping them to a battery as a switch…i KNEW i shouldnt have watched Fast and Furious !! lol…

[ph2t]

geez bithed, now you’re sounding like a 14 year old, ouch! :approve:

[jamiekulhanek]

I used a piece of veroboard for my prototype, i reckon wiring them all together then sticking them to the chassis is the best bet. Got any spare mobile phone batteries??

[bithed]

…ph2t 🙂 Im a big eye candy fan…but i got more of a buzz off the asian chick in the black mini skirt and white knee highs than anything else…

…nah the underglow will go good with the NSX i am putting together right now…i had a SAD childhood dood 🙂 im 33 and i FINALLY get to do the stuff i wanted to…albeit at 2am 🙂

[jamiekulhanek]

LOL….bithed, check yer PM’s

[bithed]

…just a thought…Check it while its still up 🙂

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3153870799&category=38287

…look like they might work ok…might be too long though…

[jamiekulhanek]

mm maybe…………..

[bithed]

…Ok this is what i have so far…heading in the right direction for the look i want…Yes the car IS just sitting on the lights right now…I am having problems with light going where i DONT want it to which may mean some reflective padding here and there once the body is all cleaned up…REALLY want BLUE under lights but all i have sourced so far are the green ones..getting there though 🙂

the WHOLE strand of pictures for this car, named ‘Devil May Cry’ are based at the following link…Im going to bed now…

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10578

Edited by – bithed on 08 November 2003 04:47:10

[trash]

What size LED’s are you using bithed ?
I would have though you’d be using blue SMD leds
for the clearance you need/want ? It also looks like you’re using 3V lithium button cells to power them. Are you using any current limiting resistors on your LED’s etc ?

[bithed]

…Trash it has been an interesting lesson from the get go…Now you gotta remember that the limit of my ‘wiring’ skills is sticky tape and wires twirled together :approve:

…I have heard of the SMD; Service Mounted Diode ? I have never seen one but I am sure I could grab next time I pass through Akihabara; can you supply me witha shopping list for the system you are suggessting? That would be a big help…ATM I am just using your regular everyday red LED…Think of one of these key holder jobs…squeeze the case and the internal wires make contact with the battery and baby lights up…simple no fuss, no solder anywhere and easy to replace…Thats what the system is so far…

…BUT…

…(and this is important i think)… It struck me as all WRONG…Here I was trying to mimick a TUBE of neon light with a ‘one-point’ light…Jamies comment RE: a row of ‘DOTS’ sent me off on the irreversal path of electronic imcompetence…

I have since got ONE LED to light a BATTERY length of Z chassis, basically wheel to wheel…All it is is ONE LED and your correctly guesssed 3V button battery…I picked up some extra wires; actually recycled them from battery checkers in the school rubbish 🙂 which will enable me to do one of three things;

1: Run the single LED from the motor…Running ONE LED each side might need a transistor; god knows how i am going to figure that one out so as an option its kinda back burner…

2: Sit the button battery on TOP of the chassis battery compartment; lots of room, and just run the wires each side…quick and easy..

3: And probably the best bet right now, is to run each diode off the batteries on that side…i just have to measure things and make sure that i dont short circuit myself…sure it will suck from my cars battery but no big deal…I aint the fastest racer to begin with…

…So what I have now is your basic all purpose light-saber done with a single LED, single battery set-up…ANY assistance or comments on this from wherevr would be highly appreciated 🙂

[bithed]

…Ok it was a progressive evening last night…The pic is posted elsewhere for a while so we just need to link to it…I feel I have reached my desired effect at this stage and will now continue on with a switched circuit for on and offs and maybe delve into some other little bits and pieces for it…BTW the colour is red not orange )

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=99176

[micro_Amps]

Pity you need to register on that site just to look at the pictures.
uA

[trash]

OK bithed,
where you do live ? I’m sure all of us started off in the world of wire twirling. I used to look around telecom sputniks for scrap wires as a kid.
I had one of the 20 in 1 kits and telecom wire was like gold to me. I was then given a BIG old plumbers soldering iron, it changed my world, though I used to cook a lot of BC548’s in the begining. When I was given a fine tip iron, real electronics was possible.

These days soldering irons are really cheap.
$25 will get you a good cheap one. Jaycar have
a special on multimeters at the moment, $12 for the cheapest.
If you can’t afford those prices, then I’d suggest to the old folks that you need some really educational xmas presents.
Through in a roll of solder, some other small tools, solder suckers, cutters etc.
Don’t forget to get them to through in a few of the component packs. 🙂 Resistors, a handfull of capacitors, diodes 1N4001’s etc, transistors BC548, BC558’s. LED’s or various colours etc.
$100 all up will go a really long way.

OH, get one of those experimenters patch boards where you can just poke the components in. Once you make up your circuit on them, you can correct mistakes etc and then solder it onto veroboard.

You can go all out with power supplies, oscilliscopes and lots of other fancy stuff you won’t need. I saw one kid and his parents in an eletronics shop the other week, he was insisting he needed the top of the line soldering station, while purchasing an LED flasher kit. The quick thinking salesman asked if he needed a multimeter,
but the kid blew it when he wasn’t sure what one was, and his folks realised that the $200 iron
would not help anymore than the $10 iron.

SMD (surface mount device) led’s you can buy from any mobile phone shop for about $1 or $2 each. You can buy SMD resistors from jaycar, and Dick Smith has a pack of SMD type LED’s that you’d be interestd in getting hold of, they are the same as normal LED’s only much smaller.

If you can’t find what you need at your local store, just ask.. a lot of guys know all sorts of places to get what your looking for. Places like Farnell, WES, RS have catalogs that put the phone book to shame.

Oh… and for everybody who wants to know some basic eletronics so that you don’t blow up your 20 cent LED’s etc. Buy a Dick Smith Funway 1 book.
It probably still costs $7, and it has all the basics that you’ll ever want to know.

[bithed]

…Trash…Thanks for your reply…I live in Japan so unfortunately the AUS. based shops you mentioned are NG…I USED to live in Surfers Paradise though 🙂

…Electronics has never been my thing really…I am more the body-mod, sculptured putty type 🙂 I got the lights on the z looking how I wanted them to so that is good…PanicToys has some soldering gear at the the shop and my partner and his grommets are keen to fire it up and goof around with it…

…You have inspired me though and I will be heading into Akihabara sometime this month so I might just hunt around for some new things to play with…

…RE: This light project I came to the (personal opinion only) conclusion that its NOT the electronics i use…all i need is an ON light…its whats done with the light AFTER its on thats the trick…

…To explain my (once again personal opinion ONLY) discovery as best i can…The LIGHT in a NEON tube has NO SOURCE…the whole bloody thing lights up…LEDs will give you POINTS of light…My setup consisted of two leds laid parralell with the side of the car; along the length ofthe battery compartment…They faced each other…That gave me a beginning and an end to the light source…The rest had to do with diffusion…A WHITE 8mm TAMIYA tube cut to size fit the leds inside…BINGO !! INSTANT neon tube…slightly brighter sections at the LED source were further refracted with TAMIYA masking tape 🙂

…I guess a picture is worth a thousand words…will post in the gallery…

BTW anything you need picked up from the electronics parts capital of the world ? 😉

[trash]

Ah Japan !
I went there once for a weekend 🙂
Yes, well you should be able to get just about anything there as well as you can here.
I had a few other ideas I meant to mention, I just forgot about them.
The first was to get hold of the old disposable cameras, they have an LED in them and a diffusion/light ducting plastic that you might like to cut up. Putting groves in them can create the smooth diffusion you talk about.
The rest of it is a small voltage inverter, storage and trigger circuit, with a xenon flash tube. The xenon tube is a true ‘gas’ tube and you can light it up much like a real neon light.
It will give you a pale white/blue colour.
Be careful though, the voltages on the trigger board are dangerous and they can bite.
😯

The other choice is to use real neon tubes !
So you’re stuck in the land of the rising dollar,
probably might still like to have a look at jaycar’s web page (http://www.jaycar.com.au) and then try find the same thing locally or just mail order. There is also ELS panels and even ELS wire.

Hmmm… yeah, I know something I need, it’s called a Kenwood TM-2400, it’s a two way radio like a CB. If you find one, (not likely) I’m sure I can grease your palm with cold hard yen. 🙂

[bithed]

…Thanks for that Trash 🙂 I will look into that radio for you…didnt think of disposable cameras…’Good work Max’…

…Yes I am aware of the bite…past forages into the guts of one taught me that quite swiftly 😯 I will have a look around the back streets of Akihabara and flow you anything that might tickle your fancy…I am pretty sure i can find a little old man who thinks the funky ‘gaijin’ needs a guide into the world of basic electronics…

http://www.akiba.or.jp/english/index.html

…Never thought of grooves…i DID rush out in the rain to the LHS but all they had were CLEAR TAMIYA tubes; 8mm dia which actually fit my LEDs perfectly; so i just sanded them a bit…NEXT project is to make a smaller unit for the front and rear with again ONE light facing down from the top…will have to set up a T-shaped tube…I was modding last night and sliced my finger again so that slows me downa bit…Ill keep yu posted…Thanks so much for your support; appreciate it 🙂

[trash]

cool stuff, I’m keen to hear want other new goodies you discover. It sounds a lot like Canal St in New York or Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong. 🙂
Akihabara… hmmm I can’t even pronounce that, but the pics of it look really familiar.

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